Russia

Pool photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko

Russia is the largest country by land mass in the world, a status it maintained even after shedding 14 countries when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Early economic turmoil in the Russian Federation gave way to widespread privatization of industry and oil-fueled growth. The nation’s politics have been dominated for more than a decade by the regime of President Vladimir Putin, who has re-nationalized private assets, cracked down on freedom of expression and pursued an expansion of regional influence. This expansion has included a military intervention in Ukraine and an internationally condemned annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Scroll below to learn more about Russia using our article archive and chronology of breaking news.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 31, 2015

Many Russian galleries and museums are attempting to recast country's history in positive light, dismissing negative impressions as defamation by foreigners; several exhibits present Russia as having long been under attack, glorify military actions and draw parallels to current events, including country's involvement in Ukraine. MORE

Mar. 31, 2015

Russian Football Union appoints Alexei Tolkachev as its first dedicated antiracism official; move is attempt to reduce notorious discrimination before Russia hosts 2018 World Cup; other soccer news noted. MORE

Mar. 30, 2015

Russian Deputy Culture Min Vladimir Aristarkhov fires Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater director Boris Mezdrich, citing controversial interpretation of life of Jesus in theater's production of Wagner opera Tannhauser; move is latest example of clash between Russian Orthodox Church and nation's cultural elite over the protection of 'traditional values'. MORE

Mar. 28, 2015

Military prosecutors in Poland charge two Russian air traffic controllers in 2010 plane crash that killed Pres Lech Kaczynski and 95 top-ranking officials, possibly adding to strained relations between countries; details of charges are not made public but controllers could face up to eight years in prison. MORE

Mar. 21, 2015

Vladimir Tolstoy, great-great-grandson of novelist Leo Tolstoy, has worked as cultural adviser to Russian Pres Vladimir V Putin since 2012; his efforts to establish less aggressive, Western-friendly cultural policy have helped bridge gap between country's ardent nationalists and its liberal intellectuals. MORE

Mar. 20, 2015

Critics of Russian Pres Vladimir V Putin warn he has permitted Chechnya's leader Ramzan A Kadyrov to gain greater power as an unpredictable despot in region; Russian security services detest him because Putin allows him to act with impunity; Kadyrov is at center of mystery surrounding murder of opposition leader Boris Y Nemtsov. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

Russian Pres Vladimir Putin holds rally and concert in Moscow to celebrate first anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea; at same time, Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine warn that fragile cease-fire there is at risk because Ukrainian government has not moved quickly enough to grant them political autonomy. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

General Motors announces that it will largely withdraw from Russian market due to concerns about country's troubled economy; company will shutter its main factory and phase out sales of Opel brand cars. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

Profile of Diana Taurasi, veteran women's basketball star who decided to withdraw from the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury at the behest of her Russian team, Yekaterinburg; like many female players, Taurasi stands to make far more money in Europe than in the United States. MORE

Mar. 17, 2015

Mar. 16, 2015

Russian Pres Vladimir Putin, in documentary Homeward Bound, reveals that he considered putting Russia's nuclear arsenal on alert during Crimean crisis due to concerns about anarchy and Western intervention; film was produced to celebrate anniversary of 2014 annexation of the peninsula. MORE

Mar. 15, 2015

Polish paramilitary groups have seen surge in membership and training exercises as ongoing Crimean crisis provokes fear that Russian Pres Vladimir Putin will attack their nation next; Polish Defense Ministry has said it will provide military training to any civilian volunteers beginning in March; heightened atmosphere throughout region reflects fear of an increasingly aggressive and unpredictable Russia and historic legacy of Russian dominance in Eastern Europe. MORE

Mar. 14, 2015

Speculation mounts in Russia and abroad about why Pres Vladimir V Putin has not been seen in public for more than week; Putin canceled trip to Kazakhstan and has missed annual meeting of top officials from Russia's domestic intelligence service; rampant speculation and difficulty in quashing story underscores uneasy mood that has gripped Moscow for months. MORE

Mar. 13, 2015

Ukraine villagers say they saw missile just before Malaysian airliner was shot down in July 2014, challenging Russian claims that plane was shot down by Ukraine's military. MORE

Mar. 12, 2015

Russian Foreign Ministry announces agreement with North Korea to declare 2015 'Year of Friendship' between countries; declaration, which follows confirmation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit Moscow in May, highlights countries' growing diplomatic ties and strained relations with West. MORE

Mar. 12, 2015

Human rights advisor Andrei Babushkin says that Zaur S Dadayev, main suspect in shooting death of opposition figure Boris Y Nemtsov, was likely forced under duress to confess to crime and that Dadayev and two other suspects suffered multiple injuries in captivity; Russian government questions Babushkin's motives and accuses him of violating laws against hindering investigation of a crime. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

Pres Obama is privately indicating that despite increasing pressure from both parties to send military aid to Ukraine, he remains reluctant to do so; Democrats join Republicans on Senate Foreign Relations Committee in urging administration to arm country. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

Emerging market economies, once seen as a portfolio staple, are losing luster for investors amid political instability, faltering economies and the steady rise of the American dollar; Turkish lira and Brazilian real have fallen to multiyear lows, and Russian ruble remains deeply unstable following plunge. MORE

Mar. 10, 2015

Chechen Republic leader Ramzan A Kadyrov praises Zaur Dadayev, former police officer charged with killing of Russian opposition figure Boris Y Nemtsov, saying murder was in response to Nemtsov's support for French newspaper Charlie Hebdo; opposition activists dismiss claim as attempt to deflect attention from Kremlin and avoid discovery of real killer. MORE

Mar. 10, 2015

Russian Pres Vladimir Putin, in clip from upcoming documentary film Homeward Bound, says planning for annexation of Crimean peninsula began weeks before Crimean referendum; comments contradict his earlier claims that referendum was main reason for military intervention. MORE

Mar. 10, 2015

Russian government's corporate bailout program may run out of money as many companies apply for subsidies from sovereign wealth fund, raising prospect of economic crisis; companies have requested at least $37 billion, amount that will probably greatly increase; fund has about $75 billion in reserves. MORE

Mar. 9, 2015

Chechen men Zaur Dadayev and Anzor Gubashev are arrested in connection with killing of Boris Y Nemtsov, prominent critic of Russian Pres Vladimir Putin; three other suspects are jailed pending further investigation. MORE

Mar. 9, 2015

European Council Pres Donald Tusk is set to meet with Pres Obama to discuss crisis in Ukraine and how to handle Russia. MORE

Mar. 7, 2015

Russian Pres Vladimir V Putin announces 10 percent pay cut for himself and other government officials in hopes of gaining popular support amid sharply rising food prices; country's financial crisis is due largely to drop in oil prices and Western sanctions over Ukrainian conflict. MORE

Mar. 7, 2015

Russian opposition figure Aleksei A Navalny is released after spending 15 days in prison for distributing leaflets in subway; vows that recent killing of Boris Y Nemtsov will not deter opposition movement. MORE

Mar. 6, 2015

Memo From Moscow; assassination of Putin critic Boris Y Nemtsov leaves Russia’s opposition activists at crossroads over whether and how to take a role in nation’s political life. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Former American intelligence contractor Edward J Snowden says he would like to return to United States after two years asylum in Russia and is seeking legal and impartial trial. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Russian Pres Vladimir V Putin makes first public statement about murder of Kremlin critic Boris Y Nemtsov; says killing was politically motivated and calls for end to such crimes. MORE

Mar. 4, 2015

Thousands attend Moscow wake and funeral of slain Russian opposition leader Boris Y Nemtsov, including diplomats and political allies but none of Kremlin elite; politicians speak in eulogies about need to continue his quest against corruption, mismanagement and Ukraine war. MORE

Mar. 3, 2015

United Nations report finds Russian influx of troops and heavy weaponry is intensifying Ukrainian-Russian conflict and increasing casualties with 6000 having died since April 2014 start of war; notes at least 842 people died from mid-January 2015 to mid-February; United States and Russia meet to discuss possible consequences of reported cease-fire violations by Russia. MORE

Mar. 3, 2015

Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov's girlfriend Anna Duritskaya, who was with him when he was murdered, is reported to have flown back to native Ukraine after claiming to have been held under house arrest by Moscow police. MORE

Mar. 3, 2015

Serge Schmemann Editorial Observer eulogizes Boris Nemtsov, Russian opposition politicians who has been murdered; praises Nemtsov for never faltering in his criticism of Pres Vladimir V Putin's government, despite threats against him. MORE

Mar. 3, 2015

News Analysis; energy deals with Russia are contentious in time of low prices and Western sanctions, as evidenced by L1 Energy, controlled by Russian oligarch Mikhail M Fridman; firm, newly headed by former BP chief John Browne, is threatening to sue Britain over its effort to block plan to acquire oil and gas unit RWE Dea. MORE

Mar. 2, 2015

Tens of thousands people rally in central Moscow to honor slain opposition leader Boris Y Nemtsov, who was shot dead near Red Square. MORE

Mar. 2, 2015

German utility RWE and Russian-controlled investment firm L1 Energy plan to complete deal for oil and gas subsidiary RWE Dea, in spite of objections by Britain. MORE

Mar. 1, 2015

Russian authorities are investigating murder of Boris Nemtsov, but many opposition supporters suspect killing was ordered by the Kremlin in retaliation for his criticism of Pres Vladimir Putin and Russian involvement in Ukraine conflict. MORE

Feb. 28, 2015

Prominent Russian opposition leader Boris Y Nemtsov is shot dead in central Moscow; it is highest-profile assassination in Russia that has occurred during tenure of Pres Vladimir V Putin, who condemns killing; Nemtsov had been organizing rally to protest war in Ukraine. MORE

Feb. 28, 2015

Russian fuel company Gazprom backs off on demands that Ukraine pay for natural gas it is sending to separatist rebels in Donbass region; Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz pays $15 million in hope that gas supply to country will not be cut off before upcoming round of talks. MORE

Feb. 27, 2015

Ukrainian military announces that it will pull back artillery from area around Debaltseve, which is held by separatist fighters. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta publishes document it claims is memo drafted in weeks before collapse of Ukrainian government and presented to presidential administration; document reportedly recommended Russia exploit instability in Ukraine to take control of Crimea and portion of southeastern Ukraine; Russian government calls memo hoax. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

European Commission says its proposal to accelerate efforts to creat energy union is important step toward unifying European Union countries and reducing dependency on Russian natural gas; proposal's most serious challenge overcoming fact that bloc's countries zealously guard their control over national energy systems. MORE

Feb. 25, 2015

Gazprom chief executive Aleksei B Miller warns Ukraine it could run out of natural gas within two days due to payment disagreement; bitter feud over gas payments has been part of wider political dispute between Russia and Ukraine over past year. MORE

Feb. 25, 2015

United Nations-mandated cease-fire monitors want more drones and radar systems for their mission in Ukraine conflict with Russian-backed separatists. MORE

Feb. 24, 2015

Ukrainian separatists celebrate after taking control of strategic city Debaltseve; victory was accomplished with help of regular Russian troops and in spite of cease-fire agreement, which rebel leaders say only applied to front lines; leaders promise to adhere to truce going forward. MORE

Feb. 23, 2015

Violence spreads in eastern Ukraine, even as Russian-back rebel group says it will start moving heavy weapons away from front lines. MORE

Feb. 22, 2015

Sec of State John Kerry meets with British Foreign Sec Philip Hammond to discuss imposing additional, more serious sanctions against Russia over Ukraine crisis. MORE

Feb. 22, 2015

Gary Shteyngart article describes watching state-controlled Russian television for a week. MORE

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Reference Material About Russia

Russia is the largest and most powerful of the states to emerge from the former Soviet Union. As the seat of the Soviet empire that existed for over 70 years, the Russians wielded tremendous power both within the U.S.S.R. and in the international sphere. Almost from their emergence as a separate people, the Russians have extended the boundaries of their country to include a wide variety of non-Russian people. Both the Russian Czars and the Bolsheviks who came to power in 1917 have a long history of expansionist policies, which explains why, even today, an important part of the Russian national identity is that of leader of a large empire.

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With a negotiating deadline on Tuesday, Iranian officials have backed away from a critical element of a proposed nuclear agreement, saying they are no longer willing to ship their atomic fuel out of the country.